Cyclone Roundup: Less drama at 2011 Big 12 meetings

By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com Publisher Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisMWilliams

I’ll never forget the summer of 2010. For the first few weeks of June, it sucked.

In May, everything was great. I had just gotten married…I had a lovely honeymoon in Florida… I came back to Iowa and all hell broke loose.

I’m speaking of the realignment craze that swept through the college football world of course.

Nebraska and Colorado bounced. The world was coming to an end you know? In fact, taps were played on 1460 KXNO in reference to the Big 12, a league that was left for dead.

But here we sit on May 31, 2011. This 10-team league appears to be stronger than ever, with $1.1 billion television package that will go in effect just around the corner.

Life is good.

The 2011 Big 12 meetings kick off today in Kansas City and this year, it will be much less of a soap opera than what we witnessed a year ago. Last year, the meetings were like an episode of Young and the Restless. This year, get ready for an exciting installment of Matlock.

For a comprehensive preview, CLICK HERE to read a report from Blair Kerkhoff from the Kansas City Star.

According to Kerkhoff’s report, the debate of whether to give college athletes additional money (aka, pay them) will be discussed this week. The Big Ten and the SEC have already announced that they’ll look into this in the near future. I will get into this topic someday. That’s way too big of a meatball to throw into one Cyclone Roundup.

PAUL RHOADS TO OHIO STATE? I assume that you’ve heard about Jim Tressel resigning from his spot as the head football coach at Ohio State? What a mess!

Who’s next? What about Paul Rhoads? That’s what Texas Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls thinks should happen.

BIG 12 COACH TO OHIO STATE? We all realize that Rhoads being hired as Ohio State’s next head coach is a major long shot right? Don’t get too worked up over the above blurb fanatics. Think of it as a nice compliment towards Iowa State coach from a respected sports journalist.

Two other prominent Big 12 coaches are also currently being rumored to replace Tressel in the Big Ten. Missouri’s head man and Akron, Ohio native Gary Pinkel is one of them. The other is Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops.

According to Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, it isn’t likely that Pinkel will leave Missouri for any job right now. Inside of that link, you’ll see that Pinkel turned down a meeting with Michigan (when its job was open) last year. Pinkel is quoted as saying his "heart is in Missouri." But what if your home state and one of the top programs in all of college football comes calling? He would at least listen right?

The Dallas Morning News reports that Bob Stoops, Bo Pelini (Nebraska) and Gary Patterson (TCU) are likely candidates for the gig.

Question: Why would Stoops leave now? His Oklahoma team is being picked by many to win the 2011 national championship and Ohio State is guaranteed to be owned by the NCAA for the foreseeable future. That’s a move that would not add up.

David Ubben from ESPN.com gives five reasons as to why Stoops will not leave Norman in this VLOG.

NOTE that former Florida coach Urban Meyer is widely known at the front runner to land this job.

LINKS GALORE

*** With the new 10-team league, it is time to bone up on the former Big 12 South fanatics. Here’s an early look at Oklahoma State, a team that is currently preparing for summer workouts.

*** Why stick with the name "Big 12?" Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News investigates.

*** ESPN.com Big 12 blogger David Ubben with his take on the 2011 Big 12 summer meetings.

*** More Cyclones have been honored in preseason college football magazines. CLICK HERE for specifics.

*** CycloneFanatic.com’s Ian Smith provides an Iowa State women’s basketball recruiting update HERE.

*** Here’s an odd story. A former Gonzaga point guard, Demetri Goodson, is transferring to Baylor…To play FOOTBALL. Huh? CLICK HERE for more at ESPN.com.